2025 June 15 evening

   Here are more photographs from Ian Cooper’s June 15 2025 photo shoot along the E&N and Galloping Goose Trails in Esquimalt and View Royal.

Peppered Moth  Biston betularia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ian Cooper

Probably Olethreutes sp. (Lep.: Tortricidae)   Ian Cooper

Cybaeus signifer (Ara.: Cybaeidae) Ian Cooper

Probably Closterotomus norvegicus (Hem: Miridae)   Ian Cooper

Debris-carrying lacewing larva  (Neu.: Chrysopidae)  Ian Cooper

 

  Here are some dragonfly photographs taken at Outerbridge Park by Marie O’Shaughnessy.

Female Cardinal Meadowhawk  Sympetrum Illotum 
(Odo.: Libellulidae) 
Marie O’Shaughnessy

Female Western Pondhawk  Erythemis collocata 
(Odo.: Libellulidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

Marie sends a list of butterflies and dragonflies that she saw today (June 15) at Outerbridge Park and MacIntyre reservoir. 

Outerbridge Park

6 Cardinal Meadowhawk
9 Four Spotted Skimmer
1 Blue-eyed Darner 
3 California Darner 

6 Cabbage White
2 Lorquin’s Admiral  

MacIntyre Reservoir

2 Female Western Pondhawk
2 Blue-eyed Darner
3 Cardinal Meadowhawk.
1 Common Green Darner
3 Eight-spotted Skimmer 
2 California Darner.

2025 June 15 morning

  Here are more photographs from Ian Cooper’s June 13 photoshoot.

Raspberry Weevil  Otiorhynchus singularis (Col.: Curculionidae)  Ian Cooper

Snail-eating Beetle  Scaphinotus angusticollis (Col.: Carabidae), with mites. 
Ian Cooper

Seven-spotted Lady Beetle  Coccinella septempunctata 
(Col.: Coccinellidae) 
Ian Cooper

Ant – Possibly Formica fusca  (Hym.: Formicidae)   Ian Cooper

Tachinid Fly  Siphona sp. (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Ian Cooper

Yellow-faced bumblebee  Bombus vosnesenskii (Hym.: Apidae)  Ian Cooper

2025 June 14

   Here are a few of the photographs taken by Ian Cooper along the Galloping Goose Trail late in the day on Friday (June 13) and after sunset.

Unidentified ichneumonoid  (Hym.: Ichneumonoidea)  Ian Cooper

Picture-winged Fly  Chaetopsis fulvifrons  (Dip.: Ulidiidae)  
Ian Cooper

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae) 
Ian Cooper

Unidentified bug (nymph?), possibly an aphid 
(Hem.: possibly Aphididae)   Ian Cooper
Can anyone help with this one?

Common Green Darner  Anax junius  (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Ian Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Don’t be misled by the name “Common” into thinking that this is a rather ordinary dragonfly.  Dragonflies in the genus Anax are known as “Green Darners”, and they are all large and spectacular creatures.  We get only one species in British Columbia, the one that happens to be the commonest and is hence known as the Common Green Darner.

Callobius pictus  (Ara.: Amaurobiidae)  Ian Cooper

2025 June 13

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I saw a Western Spring Azure at Munn Road this afternoon.  At this time of year, it is worth looking closely at any blue seen – it might be a different species.

2025 June 12

   The Satyr Comma caterpillar shown on June 9 has now formed a chrysalis:

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus  (Lep.: Nymphalidae) 
Jeremy Tatum

2025 June 11 evening

   Ian Cooper photographed this Green Lacewing on June 4:

Green Lacewing, Probably female Chrysoperla  carnea 
(Neu.: Chrysopidae) 
Ian Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  An unusual feature of the Green Pug moth Is that the undersides of its wings are heavily patterned.  Here is the underside of the moth whose upperside was shown in this afternoon’s posting.

Green Pug Pasiphila rectangulata  (Lep.: Geometridae) 
Jeremy Tatum

2025 June 11 afternoon

   Marie O’Shaughnessy writes:  An afternoon visit to Swan Lake for 90 minutes on June 10 revealed these butterflies:

1 Western Spring Azure
1 Western Tiger Swallowtail
9 Lorquin’s Admirals

and these dragonflies:

2 Blue-eyed Darners 
1 Cardinal Meadowhawk 
12 Blue Dashers

Marie continues:  A quick visit to Mount Tolmie at 12. 30 pm for 30 minutes on June 10 to watch the aggressive behaviours of the Lorquin’s Admiral and Swallowtail butterflies as they frequented the flowers of the now blooming Philadelphus bush.   I counted

3 Western Tiger Swallowtails
2 Pale Tiger Swallowtails 
3 Cabbage Whites
2 Western Spring Azures
4 Lorquin’s  Admirals
1 Anise Swallowtail
1 possible ? Painted Lady as it fluttered by in the distance 
plus 1 California Darner dragonfly

 
Jeremy Tatum found the moth shown below at his Saanich apartment today, June 11.  Although it is not in the genus Eupithecia, it is in the closely-related genus Pasiphila and cheerfully carries the English name Green Pug.  Some specimens show a lot of green. Some, like this one, not quite so much.

Green Pug  Pasiphila rectangulata  (Lep.:  Geometridae)
Jeremy Tatum

2025 June 10

   Aziza Cooper writes:  On June 8 at my Saanich apartment, this spider was on my bathroom wall.
  Dr Robb Bennett writes:  It’s one of our “sac spiders”, either a species of Clubiona (Clubionidae) or of Cheiracanthium (Cheiracanthiidae which used to be a part of Clubionidae). Most likely a Clubiona – Cheiracanthium are uncommon on the coast.

Probably Clubiona sp. (Clubionidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Marie O’Shaughnessy writes:  Indeed that lovely Philadelphus bush is in bloom and the butterflies are so attracted to it.

Yesterday, June 9th I popped by Mount Tolmie,  for 15 minutes and found…

2 Lorquin’s  Admiral
2 Western Spring Azure
3 Western Tiger Swallowtail
1 Pale Tiger Swallowtail
1 Anise Swallowtail
1 Cabbage White 

I found it too hot to linger longer.  Although I looked briefly, I did not see the Red Admiral nor Painted Lady that often show up well after 5pm. 

Anise Swallowtail  Papilio zelicaon (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

2025 June 9 evening

   Jeremy Tatum found this caterpillar today on Stinging Nettle along Lochside Trail north of Blenkinsop Lake.

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  
Jeremy Tatum

   Also along that trail today was an adult Western Spring Azure.

   Aziza Cooper photographed the dragonfly below at Goldstream on June 4.  Dr Rob Cannings identified it for us as a male California Darner.

California Darner Rhionaeschna californica (Odo.: Aeshnidae)   Aziza Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum writes that today, June 9, the Philadelphus bush at the entrance to the Mount Tolmie reservoir is now almost in full flower, and should be attracting many butterflies.  He continues:  I was there for just a few minutes at 6:30 pm and I saw there, around the bush, Red Admiral, Lorquin’s Admiral, Anise Swallowtail, Western Spring Azure.  I’m sure that a few more minutes would have yielded several more species.

2025 June 9 morning

   Here is a selection of pictures taken by Ian Cooper at various locations along the Galloping Goose Trail in Saanich on June 07 2025. 

Mining Bee  Andrena sp. (Hym.: Andrenidae)   Ian Cooper

Bombus melanopygus (Hym.: Apidae)   Ian Cooper 

Leaf-cutter bee (Hym.: Megachilidae)   Ian Cooper

Picture-winged fly  Chaetopsis fulvifrons  (Dip.: Ulidiidae)
  Ian Cooper

Seven-spotted Lady Beetle  Coccinella septempunctata 
(Col.: Coccinellidae)
  Ian Cooper 

European Paper Wasp  Polistes dominula  (Hym.: Vespidae)
  Ian Cooper